New life
by Lifany
Summary: A girl, who by chance, is the one in a million. Nothing more than a small fragile child, was what he saw in her, when he first found her. He made a decision to train her. To make her strong. But at that time, he had no idea of how strong she could become and who she chose to follow on the seas. (Mihawk finds a seven year old girl and trains her) (No parings yet)
1. Chapter 1

_Hmm… Very short for the first chapter, but it will do for now._

_I changed the story a lot! So no Roger in the beginning, I thought it made no sense and I have a waaay better idea for that part now. Also the part of her being 'send' to the One Piece world, is gone… It makes no sense, really. I tried to make Mihawk less… cold, because he's not the character we know now. Because this is 10 – 12 years before the actual story._

_Anyway, please leave a comment._

_(To those of you who didn't understand, this is a rewrite and I changed the fanfiction a lot…)_

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I do not own One Piece, if I did, Luffy would have just a little more brain. :p_

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><p><strong>~o~~o~~o~~o~~o~<strong>

Mihawk didn't bother to glare back at the villagers that nothing but fear and hate in their eyes. He didn't care about them or their opinions. He had chosen his path as a pirate a long time ago and he had chosen to follow it with all of his will. If they couldn't respect something as simple as that and chose to fear him just because a reputation, he couldn't see the need to meet their greedy, ugly eyes.

He finished his drink in peace and got up from the old chair he had been resting on. His silent steps left a speechless crowd behind and Mihawk couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment.

"_What is the world coming too?" _it was the only thought he had in his head.

Nearly nine years had passed since the death of the Pirate King and almost every civilian child, woman or man, had nothing but hate towards one word, a word that had passed every pair of lips in the entire world. _Pirates._

Mihawk was one of them, and that little alone gave the people something to fear. Every move and every breath he took, was feared.

He rarely heard a word from any civilian, because they feared him and none of them dared to even breathe in his presence. When he as a young teenager had felt the world of loneliness, he had been frightened.

But now every cold look or hateful words that were spoken of him, never reached his ears. He never lot the words get to him and he had learned to ignore the hateful looks.

Mihawk had once considered forming his own crew, or joining one. He had however always pushed it away after a few days of thinking. There was only one man he had considered as a captain, but he had declined Shank's offer when he had gotten it. Even though Shanks was the man who was the closest thing that Mihawk had as a friend, he still couldn't stand that irritating smile that always covered the red haired male's features.

He liked the comfort of silence and intended to keep it that way.

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><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

Mihawk had been wandering around of the outskirts of the small town he had arrived in, when a small burst of power rolled through the ground and up his spine. He recognized the power, though the times he had felt it before, it had been more powerful and chilled him to the bone with its raw power. This however was a small burst it. A small burst of a power that shouldn't be found on such a small and boring island.

Someone on this island had the ability to use haki. Not just any kind of haki, the _Conqueror's Haki._

The thought alone gave him a headache, he knew from the power in it that the one using it hadn't trained in it. It wasn't strong enough for someone who had trained in their ability. That meant that the user was a civilian getting riled up and unleashing a small burst of it by accident.

He hadn't counted on his visit to this island being boring and give him nothing to do, but as he rounded the corner and saw a small girl surrounded by a bunch of boys, he knew that his visit no longer could hold the title of 'deathly boring'

The swordsman observed the scene in front of him from the shadows. Seeing how the boys tore at the small girls hair, calling her names in mocking tones. Calling her weak.

Mihawk felt an unfamiliar need to step in, step in and shield the young and defenseless girl from her attackers. But as his left foot moved, he heard an insult that came from a voice that was raised high above the others.

"Monster! Our father left because of you and mother hates you!"

The girl shared her father with one of her attackers, she was being beaten down by was seemed like her older brother. A sudden unfamiliar rage hit him deep within. Older siblings should protect and care for the younger. Not drain the life force out of them by throwing insults.

When Mihawk's presence was first noticed, it was by a young blonde haired boy who immediately screamed on the top of his lungs in fear and ran away as quickly as his legs could carry him. When the other boys heard him scream, they didn't even bother to turn around. They just screamed as loud as the first and ran, thinking that some normal civilian grown up, had come to yell at them.

There was only one left and that was the boy who supposedly was the girls' brother. He had stopped his abusive acts, so that he could turn around. When he did so, he fell to the ground in shock. Mihawk couldn't help but pity the boy for his weak soul, fainting just because of fear for a man who he didn't even know.

Now the only set of eyes that were on him, was a pair of tearful golden eyes. They were filled with fear and utter disbelief.

"You girl, about five minutes ago, did you feel a power flowing through you, just for a second of two. It may have frightened some of the others" his sharp tone made her flinch and she backed away a little before speaking. "M-mister I… I didn't do an-anything bad" she stammered in fear and backed up some more.

He walked over the unconscious boy and crouched down in front of the shivering girl and sighed. "those boys will not lay another hand on you and no one will hurt you again. Was it you that released that weird power?" he had tried to sound calm and unthreatening and it seemed to work, because the small girl looked up with hopeful eyes and after some time, she nodded.

He had been right. This small girl held the power that only one in a million did.

"Mister, how did you become so strong?" Mihawk met her eyes and she didn't even flinch this time. _"what a strange child"_ was all he could think of as he saw the wonder and curiosity in her eyes.

"I became strong under the guidance of a man I respect, and I became strong by getting to know the real me and my limits" He explained calmly. He wasn't used to speaking all that much, so he felt weird after having spoken so much in the last three minutes.

"Mister, what is your name?" another question that he felt that he needed to answer. "Dracule Mihawk" the look in her eyes didn't change at his short and sharp answer. It actually gave her courage "mister, my name is Aileen" she bowed politely to him and even gave him a small smile while wiping her eyes with her small fists.

Mihawk hadn't expected the child to be so welcoming or so polite. After the treatment he had witnessed, he would have expected that she would run or faint. She did neither.

"Aileen" he addressed her and gained her attention at once. "Have you ever thought of being strong like me?" Mihawk was getting tired of having to use a comfortable tone, but he knew that he couldn't scare her of like that.

Sighing, she answered him. "I have. I do it all the time. I want so badly to become strong, strong so that no one will hurt me like mother and brother have done. I always dreamed of saying away with a pirate ship, one of those who only dreamed of freedom"

Her straight forward answer without any stuttering and hesitating, surprised him. That answer had been the one he had hoped for. Or at least somewhat close to what he had hoped. But before he could get on with his thoughts, he was interrupted by Aileen's voice.

"Mister, you said that you became strong because someone guided you… will… will you guide me to become strong? I promise, I will work hard like any other student and I will become really strong"

**~o~~o~~o~~o~~o~**

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><p><em>Hmm… Sorry for the changes and you guys are welcome to unfollowunsubscribe, if you want. Anyway, I wanted to update a little bit of what I had written, so that you guys could see what I had in mind._


	2. Chapter 2

_This took a lot longer to update than planned. I don't really have an excuse, because I don't want to talk about it yet, so I am calling it family problems. I have had some family problems and that is why you guys had to wait so long for an update. I am sorry._

_Here is the newest chapter. I haven't read it through yet, but I hope that you will enjoy it._

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><p><em><em><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I do not own One Piece, if I did, Luffy would have just a little more brain. :p__

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><p><strong>~o~~o~~o~~o~~o~<strong>

Mihawk sighed as he looked at the young girl, who was currently running around the field of flowers, trying to catch butterflies while singing an old drinking song.

He had to be honest with himself.

He had messed up.

That was all he could think about. The girl had used haki once and Mihawk had overreacted and taken her with him without a second thought.

But she had no skills.

She cried when he killed animals and she couldn't even spell her own name.

She was dead weight and he had been wrong to take her with him. She had said that she had wanted to become strong. Because of that, Mihawk had thought that she would burn with determination and work hard.

Yet here she was… chasing a butterfly.

"Aileen" His voice came out harder than he had meant it to, but he didn't really care. The little girl removed her focus from the colorful butterfly and ran over to the swordsman.

"Yes sir?" Her low and timid voice had begun to irritate him a bit. At first, she had sounded brave but now, everything she said came out in a small whisper.

"Aileen, how many days have been since we took off from your home island?" his question made her eyes go wide and she slowly brought her hands up to count on her fingers.

"Seven"

"How many times have we trained in these last seven days?"

Aileen looked down at her feet and whispered "none, sir"

Mihawk nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder. He needed to either find this girl a new home, or train her. He needed to know, which one of those two options he should take.

"Why do you not wish to train when you wish to become strong?"

Her clear golden eyes looked up into his when he spoke the question. His calm look didn't stop her eyes from filling with tears. As she had done the first time he had met her, she used her small fists to wipe her tears away. After a little pause, she answered. "I wish to be strong…Very strong. But- … but I can't do anything, I'm useless. If you were to train me, you would notice that too. I have no talent"

Her answer didn't end his inner debate, much to Mihawk's disappointment. But he didn't ask her anything else. Instead he decided for himself and crouched down to her height, as he opened his mouth to say something. "You are not allowed to call yourself useless in my presence. You don't know if you have talent yet. If you don't, then I'll train you more and you will still become strong"

Aileen's eyes lit up as his words registered in her head, but her face fell again as he added something new.

"And that also means, no more chasing butterflies"

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

Mihawk could now _almost_ say that he enjoyed the presence of Aileen. He had gotten used to her and her childish ways over the time she had spent training with him.

It had been six months and he could actually say that he was satisfied with how far she had gotten in that time.

Aileen no longer cried when he killed animals and she had actually killed a few on her own. She no longer found butterflies interesting. And what he was most proud of, was that she had learned how to read, write and how to survive on her own out in the wild.

Mihawk was somewhat happy with how things were now. He had managed to teach her how to use a knife, but now the real weapon training was the important thing.

He had already told her the basics and told her how to use many weapons. But she had yet to hold a weapon other than a knife.

Mihawk knew that she was ready to try and learn how to fight. So he had talked to her about her age and how she wanted to manage the years she would spend training.

To his surprise, she couldn't remember her birthday. When she had told him that, he had simply said that she was eight years old

He had given her a good quality wooden sword that she could use to train with. Now she just needed to be trained and Mihawk didn't think that there was any reason to wait anymore.

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><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

"Old maaaan!" Aileen whined as she slumped down onto a rock. Her pants were soaked and her arms were like rubber. She had, after all, been fighting Mihawk for hours while standing in a river while he was on dry land.

Now Aileen was sitting on a big cold rock whilst glaring at her teacher.

"Seriously, old man. It's been hours and I'm tired of being in the water. My feet are totally dead from the cold" she stuck her feet up as if to prove her point. Mihawk lifted an eyebrow when her blue feet became visible.

Her feet were indeed bloody and blue.

"We are training. Not dressing you up as a princess"

His answer was short and cold, but he took a step back and made a movement with the arm. "But since you can't go on, we shall take a break"

Aileen sneered but got up and as soon as she got back onto dry ground, she sat down and started massaging her blue feet.

After five minutes of warming up her feet, she had finally gotten the feeling back in them and was ready to go further away from the water.

As soon as she got up, she received a slap in the back of her head. She hadn't felt someone behind her, so she turned quickly and lashed out with her small knife.

Her hand was caught by Mihawk's.

"I have already told you: Calling me an old man will not change the fact that you are only eleven and still a child"

His words made her scowl and stick her tongue out.

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

Aileen sighed as she sat down on the deck. It had been years since she left 'home' and now she was living her new life. She didn't want to return to that island, but she had no choice. Mihawk had to go back for some deal that he wouldn't tell her about and she had to go with him.

She had been in a bad mood ever since she got on board on the ship and even the stupid captain couldn't make her smile.

As he crossed her mind, a head popped up in front of her.

"Go away" her voice was cold and her eyes told him that he would die a painful death, if looks alone had been able to kill.

"Ahh relax a little, will you missy? I haven't done anything and you look so sad" he smiled and sat down a little away from her, fearing that she would lash out after him.

She didn't answer him, so he took that as a sign for him to keep talking.

"The old hawk won't tell me why you hate Centaurea. Is it something in the past? I –" the look she gave him made him stop talking for a moment, then he nodded.

"So it _is_ something in the past. I am so clever. Anyway, is it where you grew up or something?"

Aileen wanted him to stop asking questions, so she asked one herself, ignoring his string of questions completely.

"How did you lose your arm?"

The captains' exited face fell a bit and he smiled sadly at her, "it's a long story, sure you wanna hear it?" she nodded "anything to make you stop asking questions"

He looked surprised "you tricked me!" she nodded and made a hand movement that said _'so what, now tell your story'_

Shanks smiled at her attitude and started.

"My crew and I did a small stop on an island in the East Blue named Dawn Island some years ago. We had planned to stay and drink to celebrate our newest find. We had gotten our fingers on the Gomu Gomu no mi. It's a devil fruit that makes the users body turn into a rubber like substance"

Shanks looked at her just to make sure she was still listening and when he caught her eye, he continued.

"We were drinking and having a good time. The guys and I had fun talking with this kid who the barmaid was taking care of and he was a lot of fun. He kept saying that he was so strong and would become a pirate just to prove it to us. We teased him a bit, but all the fun stopped when a mountain bandit and his gang entered the bar, wanting to get some Sake. We had drained the place from it and the man made a show out of not being able to get his sake. The kid, Luffy was his name, didn't understand why I didn't say anything and just let the man do as he wanted"

Again Shanks cheeked to see if she was listening and he smiled when he saw the look in her eyes. She was really interested in his story.

"Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no mi while I wasn't looking and he became a rubber boy. We left shortly after that and when we came back the next day, the bar was trashed. The mountain bandits had been back and when they had insulted me and my crew behind our backs, Luffy had shouted at them and they had taken him with them."

Shanks sighed at the memory of the small boy and smiled at Aileen.

"He was a brave little boy. I managed to save him after the mountain bandits' leader had thrown him into the sea. He couldn't swim because of the devil fruit, so if I hadn't saved him, I would have blamed myself more than I already did. A single arm is a small price to pay"

Aileen nodded and then stood up. "You were right. That was a long story. Goodnight captain"

Shanks sighed as she disappeared and then looked behind him and smiled "at least I got her respect, that's more than you have, _'old man'_"

Mihawk smirked slightly "that wasn't respect" and then he sat down with a bottle of ale and looked at his old friend. "please tell me that I did a good job in training her" his plea made Shanks laugh a little "I don't know about training, but you raised her well enough. I mean she acts like you and _looks_ like you"

Mihawk nodded a bit. He already knew that they shared some visual things. Her hair and eyes. Those two things were enough to make her pass as his daughter when they had needed it.

"Shanks, do you think that you could get something for me?"

The red haired man smiled "depends on what it is"

"I want the twin katanas that Roger left behind, the ones that he never used. You know, the ones everyone always thought were meant as wall art"

Shanks knew what he needed them for, he had seen the set of training katanas that were on the girls back when they had arrived on his ship.

"I guess I could go get them for you. When do you plan on giving them to her? She's what thirteen, fourteen right now? You could wait a bit, couldn't you?"

Mihawk shook his head. "Those two katanas belonged to Roger and he passed everything to the crew. I know you have them somewhere, so don't deny it. And for your information, I plan on giving them to her when she turns fourteen. That gives you a half year to get them for me. That should be more than enough"

Shanks nodded after some time and got up while saying "we have a deal on one condition" Mihawk made a 'go on' movement and Shanks smirked "when she's ready to train her haki abilities, you leave her with me or Rayleigh" Mihawk got up and took Shanks' now out stretched hand. "We have a deal"

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><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

Aileen hated everything on the island. She knew the small island well enough, but she didn't want to go anywhere. Had she been the one to decide, she would have stayed on the ship. But no. Shanks thought it would be great for her to get new clothes.

He didn't understand how she could say no to new clothes when she was a girl. Aileen had ignored him while he tried dragging her around, trying to keep her oblivious to his reasons for doing so. She already knew that he was trying to keep her away from Mihawk.

His stupid actions made no sense, he had been there when Mihawk had told her that he would be away for most of the day. So she had concluded that Shanks was doing this to make sure she didn't follow Mihawk. That only made everything more suspicious.

The only thing Aileen didn't really know, was how to get away from Shanks.

As the problem crossed in her mind, she saw a small opening. She turned to the nearest female shopkeeper and took a random piece of clothes. "I'm going to try this on" she called over he should to Shanks and went over to the shopkeeper.

"Mam, do you have a back door? My uncle is trying to buy me new clothes so that I can get a boyfriend, but I like my clothes and I want to spend some time alone" the woman gave her a kind smile after having looked at the red haired man, who was looking at a shirt with a weird bird on it, and quickly explained how she could find the back door.

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><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

When Aileen was outside again and she saw the forest, she couldn't help but smile. If there had been one thing she had missed, it had had to be the forest.

She was of in the blink of an eye, running through the forest that had changed so much over the years.

She had been so lost in the changes of her old favorite place, that she almost didn't recognize the road back to her old home. Almost being the key word.

Aileen had stopped up as if someone had died in front of her. Everything in her felt weird and her eyes burned from just looking at the grey stones that formed a small road.

Her golden eyes couldn't move away from the sight and her head kept telling her to go down the road. Go down the road and see what had happened in the years that had passed.

She had listened to her head and soon Aileen found herself in front of a little house. She could see the city now that she was out of the forest, but she didn't give it much thought. The only thing in her mind was the house and the woman who was beating a blanket out in front of it.

That brown hair and those brown eyes. There was no mistake. It was her mother.

Aileen hadn't noticed that she had walked closer, but the woman looked up and smiled at her. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Aileen didn't know what to say, she only nodded and took another step closer.

"Miss, uhhm… I-" as if to make things worse, the door opened and a tall young man walked out "I'm going now, mom"

He stopped op as he saw Aileen. "Who are you? I haven't seen you arou-" as he stopped in the middle of his sentence and his eyes went wide, she knew he had recognized her. It was over. In a second or two both he and her mother would be throwing insults after her again.

She was about to take a step back, when he walked closer, mouth hanging open. What worried her, was that he didn't stop walking and in seconds, he was right in front of her.

She couldn't hurt him. No matter what, he was still her brother.

"You-" he swallowed "you came back" his voice was a whisper and he kept looking at her face as if something was wrong with it. She didn't understand anything, what was going on?

Aileen was confused. Her brother knew who she was and he wasn't yelling at her and he was starting to smile. He was smiling for crying out loud!

"Aileen? It is you, right? You came back" a gasp was heard after her brother had spoken and she turned quickly to look at her mother. She had dropped the blanket and both of her hands were covering her mouth. Now she knew too.

"I-" this time Aileen swallowed "I am back for a visit. I am leaving again tomorrow" Aileen kept her voice strong and her eyes calm. Her explanation had been short, but she had said it before thinking.

A visit? No. She didn't want to stay here. It felt wrong… But deep down, she wanted to know. Why was her brother smiling? Why did all of this feel so weird?

Her words seemed to affect her mother and brother, but they both just smiled a little and she didn't expect it when her brother took her hand softly and said. "That's enough time to talk a little"

**~o~~o~~o~~o~~o~**

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><p><em>Weird ending. I didn't really know if I wanted her to meet her family like this. I don't know if I'm going to change it a bit when I read it through later on, but right now it is as it is.<em>

_Please leave a comment and tell me what you think._


	3. Chapter 3

_Okay, I'm sorry for taking this long. *bows*_

_I know that this chapter could have been better- written better- and I also know that I should have read it through some times before posting it._

_But I won't right now._

_I still hope that some of you will enjoy this chapter though._

_Oh and before we start, I really want to say "thank you" to all of you who commented added it to their favorites or followed this fic. It means a lot. :)_

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: I do not own One Piece, if I did, Luffy would have just a little more brain. ;)  
><em>

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><p><strong>~o~~o~~o~~o~~o~<strong>

Had it really all been that simple?

Those reasons were supposed to justify her treatment?

Being a confused single mother who didn't know why her husband left after the birth of their second child. She blamed the child.

A young boy losing his father and a wailing baby is suddenly taking up all the space.

Those two reasons.

Of course she could see the point in them. Everyone made mistakes and everyone could take a wrong turn.  
>It just seemed unfair that she had to live with it for so long. Being neglected by her mother and beaten by her brother.<p>

It wasn't fair.

And now they expected forgiveness?

Aileen didn't think much about her troubles as she reached those last thoughts on the subject.  
>She still wasn't ready to let go of the pain inside of her. But when she was, she would return. She knew that deep inside.<p>

It wouldn't be fair if she could live her life being like this, while they maybe couldn't. She had to be the mature and good one.

But that had to wait. She knew that she didn't have the strength to do it as she was now.

And with that, she wandered towards the harbor in the cold night.

Her not showing up the next morning to the asked meeting from her brother, would probably say enough on its own.

She didn't want to shoot the offer of family down, but she didn't want to take it either. For now, she would ignore it.

It was the only thing she could possible do right now.

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

"I accept"

The almost emotionless reply sounded from a black clad pirate. There was a vibe to the words that indicated rage, but it was ignored by the Marine Vice Admiral, who's face retracted into a sadistic smile.

"If I had known that this would have been so easy, I would have done it sooner"

The pirates hold on his sword tightened for a second, before he calmly chose his reply. "The position will be more in my favor, than yours. But I will tell you this. Touch her, and not only I, will be the one to respond"

The noticeable threat was something that the Marine was humored by, a comment almost slipped past his lips, but his years of being disciplined held him back as he saw the red hair that was feared all over the word.

As the Marine decided that it would be best to disappear before a battle broke out, spoke up.

"I will take my leave now. Remember-" he threw a den-den-mushi towards the pirate "Hawk-eye. We will contact you later in the week. If you don't respond, then the deal is of"

As the Marine turned and left the scene, he could feel the piercing stare from a Yonko. Being unable to control his human instincts, he felt chills run down his spine.

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

"Well you see… she kind of got away from me" Shanks' voice was small as he slowly walked backwards through the crowded streets. Him walking backwards to keep an eye on what his so called friend might do.

He had answered a question about Aileen's whereabouts. The only problem was that, he hadn't been able to answer correctly.

Mihawk already knew that what Shanks was blabbering about, was a lie. He knew that he had let the girl out on her own. He knew the intention of why.

Her family.

And he also knew that she had a decision to make.

It was weird how a weight slowly settled in his chest. The weight of it slowly increasing as his thoughts became more focused on the girls' possible choices.

But he knew. He knew that he couldn't tell her what to do. She was her own person.

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

Aileen looked up at the sky, her golden eyes slowly moving from star to star. Counting them. And as new appeared, her eyes caught them and they were added to the others.

"How many?"

The voice and question was familiar but Aileen still lost focus for a second, meaning that she missed the new appearing stars.

"Before you broke my concentration, there were one hundred and fifty nine stars. But now I can't count them anymore. I don't want to start over"

A comfortable silence settled between the two as the other sat down beside her.

"You probably already know about the run in with my family"

Her statement had been dead on. And when she caught the nod he gave her, she continued.

"I can't decide anything now. I'm not ready. I'm not the one I want to be yet"

Her words made Mihawk study her a bit closer. The hurt, sadness, anger, happiness, confusion. It was all in her eyes.

He understood what she meant and he knew that she understood his silence on the subject. So therefor, he didn't respond to any of the words she spoke.

**~.~.~**

At the deck, the red haired captain was standing there with a soft smile on his lips. "Someone finally understands you, old buddy"

The sight of his oldest friend and the girl he apparently took in, was something he somewhat enjoyed. He knew that his friend had gone years without anyone being able to understand his silence, and here was a small child, who was able to read it like an open book.

Shanks knew that because of the almost hidden fatherly look, he could see in his friends eyes, that girl would be placed high on his list of people he would watch grow and protect if needed.

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

Aileen had gone exploring. It was her first time actually having a place to call home in years. And this time she even had her own room. Well she actually had an entire floor all to herself.

That meant exploring.

It had been a few days before, when she and Mihawk had arrived at the old castle on Kuraigana Island.

She had no idea of why, but he suddenly had to leave for some days and he told her that she would find what she needed to pass time in the castle.

It was her first time to be away from him for more than a day, and she was a bit nervous.

But Aileen didn't want to waste her time alone. So she quickly made up her mind and went to start her exploration.

* * *

><p><strong>~.~.~<strong>

"I can't sleep"

Her voice was low and her face showed a deep rooted fear that Mihawk had seen a few times before.

"The dream again?"

She slowly made her way into the room and nodded while she crept into one of the armchairs, pulling a blanket around her for warmth.

"Sensei, I was thinking about something the other day when Shanks arrived" Aileen's change of subject, made Mihawk put down his newspaper and look up at her.

When she knew that he was listening, she continued. "I was wondering… when do I get my own weapon? I have trained so much and I just thought that… I was ready" the girl looked down at her bare feet and sighed as she waited for a reply.

"I had planned giving this to you, but I do not see the need to wait any longer. As you said, you are ready."

Mihawk's reply hadn't been something that she had expected, but before she could ask about the meaning of his words, he left the room.

When he entered again, he was carrying a box. A long finely carved wooden box. It was black with white patterns painted along its sides. The white patterns flowed together in one and formed a dragon-like creature that looked to be holding the box closed.

Aileen was on her feet and near her sensei in seconds. The box had called to her. Or, the power inside was calling her, pulling her near it. It was like she could hear a cold whisper from it. Begging her to set, whatever that was in the box, free.

"I see that you are already reacting"

His words snapped her back to reality and she took a step back.

"Reacting to what?" She was curious and afraid at the same time. It was like something was licking its way up her skin. It wasn't uncomfortable, but the cool and unfamiliar touch of something she couldn't see, frightened her.

"This was what I had feared. I was warned that this might be too soon for you." Mihawk's words only made his student more nervous and more curious.

Aileen's thoughts were running at top speed. She suddenly knew what was inside the box.

"Tell me how you are feeling"

She didn't hesitate with her answer.

"I can feel them. They are talking- no whispering- to me. I can feel their connection to me… my blood" her head snapped up and she looked at her sensei with fear in her eyes.

"Why am I reacting like this to them?"

And the answer she got, wasn't the one she had been expecting and it wasn't one that she felt comfortable with.

"Because they have bonded with your blood"

**~o~~o~~o~~o~~o~**

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><p><em>Okay, I know this was short... <em>

_I hope that you guys liked it and I also hope that some of you will leave some of your thoughts on it. _


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